Head injury worldwide is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
Besides prevention there isn't anything that can be done to improve the results from the primary brain injury, there is however a phenomenal amount that can be done to reduce the secondary brain injury that patients suffer, both from a prehospital and in hospital point of view.
In the podcast we run through head injuries, all the way from initial classification and investigation, to specifics of treatment including neuro protective anaesthesia and hyperosmolar therapy, to give a sound overview of the management of these patients.
As always we welcome feedback via the website or on Twitter and we look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy!
Simon, Rob & James
References & Further Reading
Risk of Delayed Intracranial Hemorrhage in Anticoagulated Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Chauny JM. J Emerg Med. Jul 26 2016
Mannitol or hypertonic saline in the setting of traumatic brain injury: What have we learned? Boone MD. Surg Neurol Int. 2015
Life in the fast lane; hypertonic saline
Life in the fast lane; Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury in England and Wales: prospective audit of epidemiology, complications and standardised mortality. T Lawrence. BMJ Open. 2016
Epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries in Europe: a cross-sectional analysis. M.Majdan. The Lancet. 2016
The inefficiency of plain radiography to evaluate the cervical spine after blunt trauma. Gale SC. J Trauma. 2005
What is the relationship between the Glasgow coma scale and airway protective reflexes in the Chinese population? Rotheray KR. Resuscitation. 2012
NICE Head Injury Guidelines 2014
MDCALC Canadian Head Injury
TheResusRoom; The AHEAD Study
TheResusRoom; Anticoagulation, head injury & delayed bleeds
Management of Perceived Devastating Brain Injury After Hospital Admission; A consensus statement
A case for stopping the early withdrawal of life sustaining therapies in patients with devastating brain injuries. Manara AR. J Intensive Care Soc. 2016
